Opening a new restaurant is rarely an easy task, and for Fettle + Fare owner Amanda Vargas, who has multiple sclerosis and is legally blind, the journey to create her shop in Westfield, NJ, was extra challenging.

It was here that she created a space that is more to her than a place to find tasty, nutritious food. It’s a symbol of growth and helping others ...

New Jersey Date Night is a series on NJ Flavor by relationship writer Craig Rogers.

Everyone has a St. Patrick’s Day story. Maybe yours involves being stuck in parade traffic with your date and just one bottle of water, or maybe it was being stuck in a pub with just your sixth glass of green beer. If St. Patrick’s Day can leave behind so many great stories, then it only ...

Matthew Smith, a 9-year-old Livingston, NJ, boy with talent enough in the kitchen to stand opposite Gordon Ramsay, will appear on Season 7 of “MasterChef Junior” on FOX when it premieres on Tuesday, March 12, at 8 p.m.

Smith said his interest in the culinary arts began quite early in life. His aunt gifted him a ...

"Things to do with kids" is sponsored by The Goddard School of Long Hill." This column will provide a round up of interesting things to do with kids in and around the area. To kick off the column, we wanted you to get familiar with the local libraries and their weekly happenings and upcoming special events.

It is that time of year when students are receiving either their acceptance or rejection letters from colleges. Every senior student that I have seen thus far is extremely stressed awaiting the news. Some have already received their responses, while others are on a wait list.

It is important to recognize that rejection letters are out of your control. Many schools are ...

Sergeant Art Akins’ decision to run for Somerset County Sheriff, as a Democrat, was an easy one. As a long-time proactive resident of Somerset County, he has dedicated his entire professional career to protecting his local community. The role of Sheriff will allow him to continue to serve the public on ...

Central Jersey College Prep Job Fair is hosting a Job Fair from 4 to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, April 3 at Central Jersey College Prep Charter School at 101 Mettlers Road in Somerset. The fair will include on-site interviews.

Walk-in registrants are welcome; however, pre-registration is recommended by visiting http://cjcollegeprep.org/jobfair/.

Mary Robinson, Founder and Executive Director of Imagine, A Center for Coping with Loss, is now featured on the global networks of CNN and CNN.com as a CNN Hero. Imagine, a grief support center for children and families, is beyond thrilled that Mary is being honored in this way – and that the importance of Imagine’s mission will enjoy greater reach as word of the nonprofit spreads ...

We’re back!! The Friends of Vermeule Mansion (FOVM) announces their annual Giant Yard Sale to be held on Saturday, April 27th, 2019, from 9:30 am to 3:30 pm on the grounds of the Vermeule Mansion, at the corner of 614 Greenbrook Road and Clinton Avenue. A rain date is scheduled for Sunday, April 28th. Buyers are greeted with a wide variety of goods for sale that ...

SHIP BOTTOM, NJ - The Ship Bottom Land Use Board will hear an application for the development of the empty CVS store on Long Beach Boulevard from Fantasy Island owner, Wainwright Amusement, LLC, on Wednesday, March 20.

The Fantasy Island in Beach Haven is extremely popular and the CVS would be another location for family fun. The applicant plans to renovate the property and turn into ...

WARREN, NJ - AAA is reminding drivers that the change to Daylight Saving Time may create distraction on the roadway and challenges for drivers who lost an hour of sleep. Daylight Saving Time begins Sunday March 11 at 2 a.m.

“As we spring forward, drivers should be aware that the time change will also mean changes to driving habits. Some drivers may suddenly find themselves driving into ...

BEACH HAVEN - The deal has been in the works for a few years. The Tide Table Group, owners of Mud City Crab House, Ship Bottom Shellfish, Parker’s Garage & Oyster Saloon, the Black Whale Bar & Fish House, and the Old Causeway Steak & Oyster House, recently announced the purchase of The Ketch restaurant and nightclub on Dock Road on Feb. 14.

WATCHUNG, NJ - One more month. Cinemark Holdings has announced that the tentative grand opening of its newest movie theater, Cinemark Watchung and XD (1670 Route 22 East, Watchung) is expected to be in one month, at the start of spring break, April 19.

Chick-Fil-A, Zinburger Wine & Burger Bar, Ulta Beauty, Sierra Trading Post, and Home Sense have announced they are also opening at ...

WARREN, NJ - The Warren Township Committee accepted the resignation of one of its members on Thursday night and unanimously approved naming open space in her honor.

A 23 year veteran township committeewoman and resident of Warren Township since 1975, Carolann Garafola has resigned effective June 1. Garafola said after the meeting that she,” had hoped to finish out 2019, but it just ...

SOMERVILLE, NJ - Somerset County Deputy Freeholder Director Pat Walsh blames Gov. Phil Murphy and his fiscal policies for voters’ rejection of an $8.06 million referendum in Hillsborough that if approved, would have funded full-day kindergarten and mitigated budget shortfalls caused by years of declining state aid.

BRIDGEWATER, NJ - Literacy Volunteers of Somerset County (LVSC) is holding an information session to learn more about becoming a volunteer adult literacy tutor.

Information sessions will be held at the Franklin Township Library April 8 from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.; at the Bridgewater Township Library April 9 from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.; and the Hillsborough Township Library April 10 from 6 p.m. to 7 ...

Armed with assault rifles and other weapons, dozens of police officers from Somerset County law enforcement agencies, joined by EMS and fire service units will conduct an active-shooter response exercise at the Steeplechase Cancer Center at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital on Wednesday, March 20 from 7:30-10:30 ...

EAST BRUNSWICK – Politicians, residents and environmental groups found themselves at odds with unions over an extension of the Transco natural gas pipeline that would run through New Jersey and the Raritan Bay to New York.

Williams, the energy infrastructure company that owns and operates the Transco pipeline, wants to build a 32,000 horsepower compressor station in Franklin and 3.5 ...

A pair of American Eagles tend to their nest atop an 80-foot Sycamore tree at Duke Farms in Hillsborough, days away from the hatching of two eggs, while the courtship season has begun for a female peregrine falcon nesting on the roof of the historic 17-story Union County Courthouse in downtown Elizabeth.

The predators have achieved "rock star" status in classrooms and homes across ...

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ - Rutgers University announced Tuesday that it is urging students to get a vaccination against meningitis following a state Department of Health decision to declare an outbreak of the disease because of two cases on campus this winter.

"To protect the student population, we are strongly recommending that all Rutgers–New Brunswick undergraduate students and graduate ...

WESTFIELD, NJ — A 70-year-old man who served as a priest, in Westfield, Kennilworth, North Bergen, and also at Oratory Prep School in Summit, who was later accused of sex abuse, was found shot dead at his home in Nevada, authorities said.

Officers found John Capparelli with a gunshot wound to his neck at his residence in Henderson, Nevada, on Saturday, a spokesperson ...

MORRISTOWN, NJ - The day couldn't have been better for the 40th Annual Morris County St. Patrick's Day Parade. The sun was shining, the bag pipes were playing and thousands of residents lined the streets to watch over 120 groups and organizations march down South Street and around the green on Saturday March 9.

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Meg Sleeper, of Frenchtown, N.J., was appointed to the Endurance Sport Committee (ESC) by US Equestrian (USEF).

Areas of focus for the ESC include clearly defining pathways for athletes within the sport, growing the sport of endurance within the U.S., and building a strong base at the national level for endurance athletes to expand into international levels of ...

HOLLAND TWP., N.J. — Emma Scheier, 13, of Holland Township earned several awards in the Jockey Club Thoroughbred Incentive Program (T.I.P.), which encourages the retraining of Thoroughbreds into other disciplines upon completion of careers in racing or breeding.

Her horse’s registered name is Open Now, but Scheier shows him as “And Then The Stars Aligned.” Around the ...

WACO, Texas — The No. 1 Auburn equestrian team did something no other program has done in the modern history of the sport. The Tigers put together an undefeated regular season as the squad topped rival and No. 7 Georgia, 17-3, at the Auburn University Equestrian Center on March 8.

The win moved the squad to 13-0 overall and 6-0 in the Southeastern Conference

For more than three decades, the Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA) has led the nation in observing Brain Injury Awareness Month by conducting an engaging public awareness campaign in March of each year.

Traumatic brain injuries are common in equestrian sports. One of the highest profile cases is that of dressage rider, Courtney King Dye.

I like Gov. Phil Murphy, but he's making a liar out of me. Me and millions of parents. For a couple of generations now, mothers and fathers have been warning children about the dangers of pot smoking. Now the governor comes along and tells them there is no Santa Claus.

I’ve been warning my children about pot for 20 years. That’s not exaggeration. It started when my ...

NJ Spotlight, an online news site dedicated to covering state government and doing in-depth analysis of public policy and its aftershocks, has been acquired by WNET, the Public Broadcasting Service operator of NJTV.

Together, NJ Spotlight and NJTV, will form a multi-platform news service covering the serious business of New Jersey, which has always been a television outlier for New York and ...

You’ve got to love Newark Mayor Ras Baraka’s latest move in the continuing marathon to lure Amazon’s second headquarters to his city.

The mayor wrote an op-ed in the Washington Post, the newspaper owned by Amazon gazillionare Jeff Bezos. In it, he makes yet another pitch for Newark, and thereby giving his emerging city a national stage.